Mixing container having syringe

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a mixing container for using two types of contents by mixing. A mixing container according to an aspect of the present invention has: a first body having a first inner space; and an insertion head inserted below the first body. The insertion head comprises: a second body which has a center protrusion having a through hole and protruding downward by a fixed length; a piston which forms a second inner space by being movably inserted into the insertion head and closes the through hole by coming into contact with the center protrusion; and a bottom cap which covers the bottom of the second body. The center protrusion is released from the contact with the piston by means of the descent of the piston due to an external force, and thus the first inner space and second inner space communicate.

BACKGROUND Technical Field

The present invention relates to a mixing container in which twodifferent types of substances are mixed together before being appliedwith a syringe.

Description of the Related Art

Mixing containers are currently in use, where a mixing container mayhold two types of contents separately within a single container, withthe contents mixed together when they are used. For example, in thefield of cosmetic products, a mixing container is being manufactured anddistributed in which a gel type base and a powder are storedindividually without mixing, with the base and the powder mixed togetherwhen applied. This form of mixing container is mainly used in caseswhere a mixture of the two different types of contents provides asynergetic effect but where a premature mixing of the two differentcontents before the time of use causes the contents to spoil or exhibita lowered performance after a prolonged period of distribution.

In the case of functional cosmetics, such as essence oils, etc., acontainer capable of dispensing an exact amount of a content may beused, in consideration of the high value of the content. One device thatallows the dispensing of a fixed amount of content is the syringe. Asyringe, which may include an elongated glass tube with a bulb made ofrubber or silicone, etc., formed at the end, can discharge an exactamount of content and dispense the content drop by drop.

A conventional mixing container equipped with a syringe is disclosed forexample in Korean Registered Utility Model No. 0487631. In the mixingcontainer disclosed in the above prior art document, the syringe may befilled with a content, and the entrance may be closed with a cap. Whenthe syringe is first used and is withdrawn from the container body, thecap may be separated, and the content within the syringe may bedischarged.

The conventional mixing container such as the above entails the problemthat it is difficult to insert the syringe, to which a cap is coupled,into the inside of the container. Also, with the conventional mixingcontainer, the cap separated from the syringe is not removed and mayremain inside the container body. This can be inconvenient to the userand can be undesirable also in terms of an aesthetic appearance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Technical Problem

An aspect of the present invention, which was conceived to resolve theproblem described above, is to provide a syringe type mixing containerthat is simple to manufacture and convenient to use.

Other objectives of the present invention will be more clearlyunderstood from the embodiments set forth below.

Solution to Problem

One aspect of the present invention provides a mixing container thatincludes: a first body that includes a first interior space; a secondbody that includes an insertion head inserted into a lower portion ofthe first body, where the insertion head includes a center protrusionthat forms a through-hole and protrudes downward in a particular length;a piston that is movably inserted into the insertion head to form asecond interior space and is configured to close the through-hole by wayof a contact with the center protrusion; and a lower cap that isconfigured to cover a lower portion of the second body. Here, a downwardmovement of the piston resulting from an external force may disengagethe contact between the center protrusion and the piston such that thefirst interior space and the second interior space are connected.

A container according to an embodiment of the present invention caninclude one or more of the following features. For example, the pistoncan include a piston slope member and a center recess formed in a centerof the piston slope member, and the center protrusion can be inserted inthe center recess.

The piston can include a downwardly protruding piston protrusion, andthe lower cap can include a cap protrusion holding the pistonprotrusion.

The piston can include a piston lip, and the piston lip can tightlycontact the inner perimeter of the insertion head.

The insertion head can include a head slope member, and the head slopemember can be formed sloping in the direction of the through-hole.

The mixing container can further include a syringe that is configured tobe coupled to an upper portion of the first body, where the syringe caninclude a nozzle, and when the syringe is coupled to the first body, thenozzle can press down on the piston and cause the downward movement ofthe piston.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

An embodiment of the present invention can provide a mixing containerthat is convenient to use and has a simple structure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a mixing containeraccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a syringe used with themixing container illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the first body, the secondbody, the piston, and the lower cap.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the mixing container withthe syringe inserted but with the contents not yet mixed together.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the mixing container ofFIG. 4 with the syringe inserted completely and the contents mixedtogether.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As the invention allows for various changes and numerous embodiments,particular embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and describedin detail in the written description. However, this is not intended tolimit the present invention to particular modes of practice, and it isto be appreciated that all changes, equivalents, and substitutes that donot depart from the spirit and technical scope of the present inventionare encompassed by the present invention. In the description of thepresent invention, certain detailed explanations of the related art areomitted, if it is deemed that they may unnecessarily obscure the essenceof the invention.

The terms used in the present specification are merely used to describeparticular embodiments and are not intended to limit the presentinvention. An expression used in the singular encompasses the expressionof the plural, unless it has a clearly different meaning in the context.In the present specification, it is to be understood that the terms suchas “including” or “having,” etc., are intended to indicate the existenceof the features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, orcombinations thereof disclosed in the specification and are not intendedto preclude the possibility that one or more other features, numbers,steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof may exist ormay be added.

While such terms as “first,” “second,” etc., may be used to describevarious components, such components must not be limited to the aboveterms. The above terms are used only to distinguish one component fromanother.

Certain embodiments of the invention will be described below in moredetail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Those componentsthat are the same or are in correspondence are rendered the samereference numeral, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a mixing container 100according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is across-sectional view illustrating a syringe 190 used with the mixingcontainer 100 illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional viewillustrating the first body 110, the second body 130, the piston 160,and the lower cap 180.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, a mixing container 100 based on thisembodiment may include a first content 102 and a second content 104filled therein in an unmixed state. The mixing container 100 can beprovided with a syringe 190 as a device for dispensing the contents, andduring the process of the syringe 190 being coupled to the upper portionof the mixing container 100 illustrated in FIG. 1, the piston 160 may bepressed down and moved by the syringe 190, allowing a mixing of thefirst content 102 and second content 104.

A mixing container 100 according to an embodiment of the presentinvention may include a first body 110, a second body 130, a piston 160,and a lower cap 180. Also, the mixing container 100 based on thisembodiment can include a syringe 190 as a device for dispensing thecontents.

The first body 110 may be a hollow container having a circular crosssection and may have an entrance 114 formed in its upper portion. Athread 116 may be formed around the entrance 114, where a syringe cap194 may be screw-joined to the thread.

A guide member 108 may be plugged into the entrance 114. The guidemember 108 may include a guide hole 106, and a nozzle 198 of the syringe190 may be inserted through the guide hole 106 into the interior of thefirst body 110. Since the diameter of the guide hole 106 may be almostthe same as the outer diameter of the nozzle 198, any content (notshown) that has adhered to the outer perimeter of the nozzle 198 can beremoved by the guide member 108 when the nozzle 198 is passed throughthe guide hole 106.

A first interior space 120 may be formed within the first body 110. Thefirst interior space 120 may be filled with the first content 102. Thefirst interior space 120 may be formed by a periphery member 118, a headslope member 134 of an insertion head 132, and a center protrusion 136of the insertion head 132. The open bottom of the center protrusion 136can be closed by contact with the piston 160.

The first body 110 may be open at the lower end, allowing the insertionhead 132 of the second body 130 to be inserted into the first body 110.

A coupling end part 124 may be formed at the lower end of the first body110. The coupling end part 124 may be inserted into a coupling groove142 formed in the periphery of the second body 130, and as a result thefirst body 110 and the second body 130 may be coupled to each other.

The second body 130 may include an insertion head 132, which may beinserted into the lower end of the first body 110, and a lower body 146,which may be exposed to the outside. The second body 130 may receive thepiston 160 movably inserted therein and may have the lower cap 180coupled to its lower end.

The insertion head 132 may be structured to have the shape of a hollowcylinder with a head slope member 134 formed at the top. In the centerof the head slope member 134, there may be formed a center protrusion136. Also, the head slope member 134 may be formed sloping downwardly inthe direction of the center protrusion 136, whereby the first content102 filled above the head slope member 134 can easily flow in thedirection of the center protrusion 136.

The center protrusion 136 may correspond to a hollow cylinder formedprotruding downwardly from the center of the head slope member 134. Athrough-hole 138 may be formed through the upper end and lower end ofthe center protrusion 136, thus forming an open structure. Also,referring to FIG. 1, the outer diameter of the center protrusion 136 canbe formed such that, when the center protrusion 136 is inserted into thecenter recess 166 of the piston 160, the outer perimeter of the centerprotrusion 136 can contact the inner perimeter of the center recess 166.Thus, the first content 102 within the center protrusion 136 may notflow into the second interior space 172.

The length of the center protrusion 136 may correspond to the gapbetween the head slope member 134 and the piston slope member 162.Therefore, if the length of the center protrusion 136 is great, the gapbetween the head slope member 134 and the piston slope member 162 may begreat, and hence the volume of the second interior space 172 may also belarge. Conversely, if the length of the center protrusion 136 is small,then the volume of the second interior space 172 may be small.Therefore, the length of the center protrusion 136 can be determined inconsideration of the amount of second content 104 filled in the mixingcontainer 100.

The diameter of the through-hole 138 formed in the center protrusion 136can be formed greater than the outer diameter of the nozzle 198 of thesyringe 190. This can allow the nozzle 198 to readily pass through thecenter protrusion 136 and press down on the piston 160.

The insertion head 132 may include a head periphery member 140. The headperiphery member 140 may be structured to extend down from the edge ofthe head slope member 134 with the lower end connected in a continuousmanner with the lower body 146. The outer perimeter of the headperiphery member 140 may contact the inner perimeter of the first body110, thereby preventing any leakage of the first content 102.

The lower body 146 may have a larger outer diameter than that of theinsertion head 132 and may be connected in a continuous manner with thelower end of the first body 110. Since the diameter of the lower body146 may the same as the diameter of the first body 110, the exterior ofthe mixing container 100 can be formed in a continuous shape with noprotuberance.

The lower cap 180 may be coupled to the lower end of the lower body 146.

At the portion where the insertion head 132 and the lower body 146 areconnected, the difference in outer diameter between the two may form acoupling groove 142. The coupling groove 142 may be a groove formed in aparticular depth along the entire periphery of the second body 130.Also, in the inner perimeter of the coupling groove 142, there may beformed a detent groove 144. The coupling between the first body 110 andthe second body 130 may be completed as the coupling end part 124 of thefirst body 110 is inserted in the coupling groove 142 and a protrusion126 formed in the periphery of the coupling end part 124 is inserted inthe detent groove 144.

The piston 160 may be positioned within the insertion head 132 of thesecond body 130 and, together with the insertion head 132, may form thesecond interior space 172 that is to be filled with the second content104. The piston 160 may move down when pressed by the user, as a resultof which the first interior space 120 and the second interior space 172may be connected with each other.

The piston 160 may include a circularly shaped piston slope member 162.The piston slope member 162 may have a center recess 166 formed in thecenter and a piston lip 164 formed on the edge. The piston slope member162 may be formed sloping downward towards the center recess 166 in themiddle, whereby the content can be focused in the direction of thecenter recess 166.

The piston slope member 162 may correspond to a part of the lowerboundary of the second interior space 172. That is, the second interiorspace 172 may have an upper boundary corresponding to the head slopemember 134 of the insertion head 132, a lower boundary corresponding tothe piston slope member 162 and the center recess 166, and a boundaryin-between corresponding to the inner perimeter of the insertion head132.

The piston lip 164 may be formed protruding upward from the periphery ofthe end portion of the piston slope member 162. The piston lip 164 maymove while maintaining tight contact with the inner perimeter of theinsertion head 132, so that the content may not leak to the lower cap180.

The center recess 166 may be a recess formed in the center of the pistonslope member 162 and may be shaped as a hollow cylinder. The centerrecess 166 may be open at the top and closed at the bottom. A pistonprotrusion 168 may be formed extending from the lower surface of thecenter recess 166. When the piston 160 has not yet moved down, thecenter protrusion 136 of the second body 130 may be inserted in thecenter recess 166, whereby the through-hole 138 formed in the lower endof the center protrusion 136 may remain closed.

The inner diameter of the center recess 166 may be formed the same oralmost the same as the outer diameter of the center protrusion 136, soas to prevent any leaking of the first content 102 through the centerprotrusion 136 before the piston 160 is moved down.

The piston protrusion 168 may protrude downward from the lower surfaceof the center recess 166 and may be shaped as a hollow cylinder. Thepiston protrusion 168 may be partially inserted in a cap protrusion 186formed in the center of the lower cap 180 (see FIG. 1). As the piston160 is moved downward, the piston protrusion 168 may be insertedcompletely into the cap protrusion 186 (see FIG. 5). In this way, thepiston protrusion 168, together with the cap protrusion 186, may serveas a guide that allows a stable downward movement of the piston 160.

At the lower end of the piston protrusion 168, a tapered portion 170 maybe formed. The tapered portion 170 may allow the piston protrusion 168to more easily be inserted into the cap protrusion 186.

The lower cap 180 may be coupled to a lower portion of the second body130 to cover the open bottom of the second body 130. The circularlyshaped lower cap 180 may have a cap lip 182 formed on the edge and a capprotrusion 186 formed in the center.

The cap lip 182 may be formed protruding upward from the edge of thelower cap 180 and may be placed in tight contact with the innerperimeter of the lower body 146 of the second body 130. The tightcontact of the cap lip 182 against the inner perimeter of the lower body146 can prevent the lower cap 180 from becoming detached and prevent thecontent from leaking out of the mixing container 100.

The cap lip 182 may include an outwardly protruding detent protrusion184, where the detent protrusion 184 may be inserted into a groove (nonumeral assigned) formed in the inner perimeter of the lower body 146.Thus, the lower cap 180 may be firmly coupled to the lower end of thesecond body 130.

The cap protrusion 186 protruding upward from the center of the lowercap 180 may be structured as a hollow cylinder with an open top. The capprotrusion 186 can be formed in a length that is the same or almost thesame as that of the piston protrusion 168. Also, the inner diameter ofthe cap protrusion 186 can be formed somewhat larger than the outerdiameter of the piston protrusion 168. This can allow the pistonprotrusion 168 to be easily inserted into the cap protrusion 186.

A mixing container 100 according to this embodiment can be provided witha syringe 190 as a device for dispensing the contents. The syringe 190may include a syringe cap 194, which may be screw-joined onto an upperportion of the first body 110, and a nozzle 198, which may extenddownward from the syringe cap 194.

After the cap 112 coupled to the upper portion of the first body 110 isremoved, the syringe cap 194 can be coupled to the first body 110instead of the cap 112. A pressing part 192 may be formed at an upperportion of the syringe cap 194. The nozzle 198 may be inserted in thecenter of the syringe cap 194.

The nozzle 198 may be an elongated hollow tube with its lower open andits upper end connected with the pressing part 192. The nozzle 198 canbe formed in a length that allows the nozzle 198 to press the piston 160when the syringe 190 is coupled to the first body 110. Thus, during theprocess of the syringe 190 being coupled onto the first body 110, thenozzle 198 can press the piston 160 and move the piston 160 downward.

While the mixing container 100 based on this embodiment is describedusing an example in which a syringe 190 is provided as the dispensingdevice, the present invention is not limited by the device fordispensing the contents. Thus, a mixing container 100 based on anotherembodiment of the present invention can be provided with any of avariety of other dispensing devices, such as the spray pump disclosed inKorean Registered Patent No. 1963619, etc.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the mixing container 100with the syringe 190 inserted but with the contents 102, 104 not yetmixed together, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating themixing container 100 of FIG. 4 with the syringe 190 inserted completelyand the contents mixed together.

Referring to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, after the cap 112 is removed from themixing container 100 illustrated in FIG. 1, the nozzle 198 of thesyringe 190 may be inserted to the inside of the mixing container 100through the entrance 114 of the first body 110. Here, since the piston160 is inserted onto the center protrusion 136 of the second body 130,the second interior space 172 may not be connected with the firstinterior space 120. Therefore, before the piston 160 is separated fromthe center protrusion 136, the first content 102 may not be mixed withthe second content 104.

When the nozzle 198 is moved down during the process of the syringe cap194 of the syringe 190 being screw-joined onto the first body 110, thelower end of the nozzle 198 may pass through the center protrusion 136of the second body 130 and then enter the center recess 166 of thepiston 160 to press the piston 160 downward. Thus, as the piston 160moves downward, the piston protrusion 168 may be inserted deeper intothe cap protrusion 186. The downward movement of the piston 160 maydisengage the contact between the center protrusion 136 and the centerrecess 166 and thus open the through-hole 138. The opening of thethrough-hole 138 may allow the first interior space 120 and the secondinterior space 172 to be connected with each other, whereby the firstcontent 102 may flow into the second interior space 172 and be mixedwith the second content 104.

When the syringe 190 is completely screw-joined to the first body 110,the end portion of the nozzle 198 may contact the bottom surface of thecenter recess 166 of the downwardly moved piston 160. As the pistonprotrusion 168 may also be completely inserted into the cap protrusion186 of the lower cap 180, the piston 160 may not be able to move anyfurther. As illustrated in FIG. 5, even after the piston 160 is movedcompletely, the piston lip 164 may contact the inner perimeter of theinsertion head 132, thereby preventing the mixture of the first content102 and second content 104 from leaking below the piston 160.

While the mixing container 100 according to this embodiment is describedusing an example in which the nozzle 198 of the syringe 190 is used topress the piston 160 downward, the present invention is not limited bythe device for pressing down the piston 160. Thus, a mixing container100 according to another embodiment of the present invention can pressdown the piston 160 by using the nozzle of a spray pump module or aseparately provided stick.

A mixing container 100 based on this embodiment provides the advantageof convenient use, since screw-joining the dispensing means, i.e., thesyringe 190, moves the piston 160 downward and allows a mixing of thefirst content 102 and second content 104. Also, a mixing container 100based on this embodiment entails a simple composition of a first body110, second body 130, piston 160, and lower cap 180 and thereforeprovides the advantages of easy fabrication and assembly.

While the foregoing provides a description with reference to anembodiment of the present invention, it should be appreciated that aperson having ordinary skill in the relevant field of art would be ableto make various modifications and alterations to the present inventionwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention setforth in the scope of claims below.

1. A mixing container comprising: a first body comprising a firstinterior space; a second body comprising an insertion head, theinsertion head inserted into a lower portion of the first body, theinsertion head comprising a center protrusion, the center protrusionforming a through-hole and protruding downward in a particular length; apiston movably inserted into the insertion head to form a secondinterior space, the piston configured to close the through-hole by wayof a contact with the center protrusion; and a lower cap configured tocover a lower portion of the second body, wherein a downward movement ofthe piston resulting from an external force disengages the contactbetween the center protrusion and the piston such that the firstinterior space and the second interior space are connected.
 2. Themixing container of claim 1, wherein the piston comprises a piston slopemember and a center recess formed in a center of the piston slopemember, and the center protrusion is inserted in the center recess. 3.The mixing container of claim 1, wherein the piston comprises adownwardly protruding piston protrusion, and the lower cap comprises acap protrusion holding the piston protrusion.
 4. The mixing container ofclaim 1, wherein the piston comprises a piston lip, and the piston liptightly contacts an inner perimeter of the insertion head.
 5. The mixingcontainer of claim 1, wherein the insertion head comprises a head slopemember, the head slope member formed sloping in a direction of thethrough-hole.
 6. The mixing container of claim 1, further comprising: asyringe configured to be coupled to an upper portion of the first body,wherein the syringe comprises a nozzle, and when the syringe is coupledto the first body, the nozzle presses down on the piston and causes thedownward movement of the piston.
 7. The mixing container of claim 2,further comprising: a syringe configured to be coupled to an upperportion of the first body, wherein the syringe comprises a nozzle, andwhen the syringe is coupled to the first body, the nozzle presses downon the piston and causes the downward movement of the piston.
 8. Themixing container of claim 3, further comprising: a syringe configured tobe coupled to an upper portion of the first body, wherein the syringecomprises a nozzle, and when the syringe is coupled to the first body,the nozzle presses down on the piston and causes the downward movementof the piston.
 9. The mixing container of claim 4, further comprising: asyringe configured to be coupled to an upper portion of the first body,wherein the syringe comprises a nozzle, and when the syringe is coupledto the first body, the nozzle presses down on the piston and causes thedownward movement of the piston.
 10. The mixing container of claim 5,further comprising: a syringe configured to be coupled to an upperportion of the first body, wherein the syringe comprises a nozzle, andwhen the syringe is coupled to the first body, the nozzle presses downon the piston and causes the downward movement of the piston.